A radial roller bearing of this type is already known generically, for example, from German patent specification No. 452 475. Such a radial roller bearing, which has a lateral delimitation of the raceways by rims both on its outer and on its inner bearing ring, is distinguished by a high load-bearing capacity and, in addition to high radial forces, can also absorb high axial forces in both directions. However, since these rims are designed as peripherally continuous rims connected in one piece to the bearing rings, it is not possible, as a consequence of construction, to fill the radial roller bearing completely with the corresponding cylindrical rollers without interspaces. The filling of this radial roller bearing with cylindrical rollers consisting of a rolling bearing steel must therefore be carried out in such a way that the two bearing rings are first arranged eccentrically with respect to one another and, subsequently, the free sickle-shaped space occurring between the bearing rings is filled with the cylindrical rollers. Thereafter, utilizing the elasticity of the two bearing rings, the inner bearing ring is brought, between the first and the last cylindrical roller, into the position concentric with respect to the outer bearing ring, and the cylindrical rollers are distributed uniformly on the circumference of their raceways. In order for the cylindrical rollers, even under load, to be always at a uniform distance from one another, finally, two part rings, into which corresponding half-pockets are worked on one side in the shape of the cylindrical rollers, are then inserted from both sides of the radial roller bearing, through the free space between the rims of the outer bearing ring and the rims of the inner bearing ring, into the radial roller bearing and are connected to one another by riveting to form a cage.
Such a radial roller bearing has the disadvantage, however, that its cage requires relatively high outlay in manufacturing and assembly terms and therefore increases the production costs of the bearing. It has likewise proven to be a disadvantage that the cylindrical rollers rolling on their raceways run up in their cage pockets against the cage arranged stationarily in relation to the cylindrical rollers, and this may result in increased frictional wear both on the cylindrical rollers and on the cage, the consequence of which may be an undesirable leading or trailing of the cylindrical rollers out of their desired position, even amounting to the jamming of the radial roller bearing. Moreover, since radial roller bearings of this type are subjected to high radial load and therefore have a relatively high radial play outside the load zone of the bearing, the result of an increased pocket play, in conjunction with this radial play, is that the cylindrical rollers are drawn with impact into the load zone of the bearing and then transmit these impacts to the other cylindrical rollers of the bearing via the cage. An out-of-round running of the radial roller bearing thus occurs, due to which the wear on the cylindrical rollers and on the cage is further intensified and, ultimately, the useful life of the radial roller bearing is greatly reduced.
Another possible way of guiding the cylindrical rollers of a radial roller bearing, which has a lateral delimitation of the raceways by means of rims both on its outer and on its inner bearing ring, by means of a cage has also already been disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 837,830. In this radial roller bearing, the cage for the cylindrical rollers is formed by individual hollow intermediate pieces of triangular cross section, the length and width of which correspond approximately to the length and diameter of the cylindrical rollers and which are elastically deformable in width because one of their legs is designed to be separated longitudinally in the axial direction. After the bearing is filled with the cylindrical rollers and after the uniform alignment of these, these intermediate pieces are inserted in compressed form into the radial roller bearing through the free space between a rim of the outer bearing ring and a rim of the inner bearing ring, in each case between two cylindrical rollers, and then, within the bearing, by elastic expansion resume their original triangular shape in which they lie with their separated leg on the raceway of the inner bearing ring and with their closed legs brace two cylindrical rollers of the radial roller bearing against one another.
A radial roller bearing designed in this way has the disadvantage, however, that the triangular intermediate pieces arranged between the cylindrical rollers are not suitable, due to their separated leg and to their triangular shape, for withstanding high circumferential loads, but, instead, in such load situations are inclined, due to elastic deformation, to be compressed into their assembly shape or to tilt. In this bearing, too, an undesirable slip of the cylindrical rollers or the leading or trailing of the cylindrical rollers out of their desired position may thereby occur, thus leading to a jamming of the radial roller bearing, amounting to the failure of the latter. Furthermore, in this radial roller bearing, too, it has proven to be a disadvantage that the cylindrical rollers rolling on their raceways run up against the intermediate pieces arranged stationarily in relation to the cylindrical rollers, and this may result in increased frictional wear both on the cylindrical rollers and on the intermediate pieces. The wear of the intermediate pieces is further increased in that these are also permanently ground down by the cylindrical rollers on the raceway of the inner bearing ring, so that this radial roller bearing, too, has only a low useful life.